10 Man Petershill halt Murdo’s Pollok

Pollok gaffer Murdie Mackinnon admitted his side’s second half performance wasn’t good enough as they drew a blank against rivals Petershill on Saturday afternoon at Newlandsfield in a 0-0 draw.

He said “The second half performance wasn’t up to standard, we controlled the game relatively well but in the final third we lacked that final bit of quality needed and that’s something that we need to work on.

We will regroup speak to each other about individual criticisms and then we will go and work on areas that need work on. Playing here in front of your home fans, you want to go and put on a show and score goals.

I said to the players before the game ‘this is a derby you’re playing in’ it’s the fixture on the calendar that most fans will look out for and we definitely didn’t play as if we were in one today.

We need to make Newlandsfield a hard place to come again, which I know we can do and I know that we can do the business here most weeks. It’s just a matter of going out and doing it now.

Credit to Petershill though. They came here with a game plan and they stuck with it with the way things have been going for them, they were a great unit and they fully deserved their point. I said to the boys that the first goal was vital as it meant they would have to come out of their shape and it would’ve opened the game up for us.”

Pollok’s best chance of the first half came through Danny McKenzie’s link up with the returning Stef McCluskey who’s shot from the left hand side of the area was scrambled clear by Graham Girvan on the goal line.

Girvan was later sent off in the secone hale for foul and abusive language towards whistler Calum Scott as Pollok searched for that crucial first goal.

Petershill’s best chances came on the counter attack. Luke Crerand saw his effort from 12 yards out smothered by Jordan Longmuir then hacked away by Danny Mckenzie.

Pollok’s late search for the winner found Stef McCluskey on the right hand side, one on one with his man he managed to find a bit of space on the wing but his near post cross wasn’t matched by any attackers.